August 31, 2007

My Journey to God

Pray, Trust, Obey

“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thes 5:16-19)

Pray—When I attended church on Sunday, April 15, I started out as a well-feeling person. After I attended Mass and a meeting, I had to follow an inner voice that told me, “Go to your daughter’s house or go home.”

Obeying my inner voice, I went to my daughter’s house. I was there for approximately an hour and 15 minutes when I said, “Ann, give me a glass of water, please.”

I drank half the water and dropped the cup. My granddaughter noticed that I dropped the cup. She went to her mother and said, “Granny dropped her water and you need to come see.”

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Prv 3:5-6)

Trust—Immediately, Ann came and could see I was in serious trouble. She tried to take my pulse, which was very low. She called the medic and they came quickly and took me to Methodist Hospital. En route to the hospital, a medic started an IV. Arriving at the hospital, there was non-stop work to save my life.

“But Samuel said, ‘Does the Lord so delight in holocausts and sacrifices as in obedience to the command of the Lord? Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission than the fat of rams.’ ” (1 Sm 15:22)

Obey—How can you feel fright like this yet be overcome with joy? So I feel very thankful that I obeyed the inner voice, the Spirit, and I’m most grateful for the attention given to me by my

5-year-old granddaughter, who God used to deliver a message of help, and that a mother answered, and God kept me when the Spirit spoke to me. I will trust and obey.

By Zenobia Green

(Zenobia Green is a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianapolis. She wrote this reflection based on her medical emergency last spring when her daughter, Delicia Brooks, and her granddaughter, Anise Maray Brooks, helped save her life.) †

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